Is Oracle free to download

oracleplsql

I am a Java developer and currently I use PostgreSQL as the RDBMS. However, I would also like to learn Oracle. So can I download a latest version of Oracle (11g I guess) for free?

I found this link: Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Downloads, and it seems that it is downloadable. However, I know that Oracle Server is proprietary. So how does that work?

Also, will there be PL/SQL along with the download of Oracle 11g?

Best Answer

If you're really only looking to learn about the development side and have no interest in the administration or installation side at the moment, a quicker route might be to download a prebuilt developer VM image for Virtualbox. That can get you up and running very quickly, and you can connect to the DB running inside the VM from outside, so you can continue to do your development in your current environment.

The overview echos what others have said about licensing kicking in once you ship an application (but Oracle licensing is a quagmire, you'll need to talk to Oracle about it if/when you get past playing around):

Learning your way around a new software stack is challenging enough without having to spend multiple cycles on the install process. Instead, we have packaged such stacks into pre-built Oracle VM VirtualBox appliances that you can download, install, and experience as a single unit. Just downloaded/assemble the files, import into VirtualBox (available for free), import, and go (but not for production use or redistribution)!

For experimenting it's ideal, in my experience. Of course, it's unsupported, but as you won't have a support contract anyway that's a bit of a moot point.

As David said, PL/SQL is integral to the database, not a separate component, so it is available in the VM image. You get some tools too, including SQL Developer, but you might have less friction running that natively and connecting it to the DB in the VM.

Related Solutions

Oracle 11g: “With Clause” very slow

Try the hint INLINE

with abc as 
(
  select /*+ INLINE */ count(distinct id) as my_count, some_column
  from  large_view v where some_column in (...constant values here...)
  group by some_column
) select my_count from abc;

Oracle 11g – Aggregate Function and Query

Simple, but "dirty":

with t as (
  select 1 as id, 'Y' as received from dual union
  select 1 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'Y' as received from dual union
  select 3 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 3 as id, 'Y' as received from dual 
)
select min(max(received)) from t group by id;

M
-
Y

Change input (e.g. change id to 4 in last line):

with t as (
  select 1 as id, 'Y' as received from dual union
  select 1 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 2 as id, 'Y' as received from dual union
  select 3 as id, 'N' as received from dual union
  select 4 as id, 'Y' as received from dual 
)
select min(max(received)) from t group by id;

M
-
N

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Oracle 11g: “With Clause” very slow

Oracle 11g – Aggregate Function and Query

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